Machine for elevating and carrying shocks.



No. 668,336. Patented Feb. l9, I90l.

' E. MUFFITT.

MACHINE FOR ELEVATING AND CARRYING 8H0 CKS.

(Application filed Apr. 6, 1900.)

2 Sheats-$hoat I (No Model.)

N0. 668,336. Patented Feb. :9; 19m.

|. E. MUFFITT.

MACHINE FOR E LEVATING AND CARRYING SHOCKS.

(Application filed Apr. 6, 1900.) (No Mod el.)

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ISAAC E. MOFFITT, OF BATI-IGATE, NORTH DAKOTA.

MACHINE FOR ELEVATING AND CARRYING SHOCKS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 668,336, dated February 19, 1901.

Application filed April 6, 1900- T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ISAAC E. MOFFITT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bathgate, in the county of Pembina and State of North Dakota, have invented a Machine for Elevating and Carrying Shocks, of which the following is a specification.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a machine for loading grain upon wagons, the said machine being of such capacity that an entire shock can be handled without disturbing the arrangement of the sheaves forming the shock; and it consists of a pivoted support mounted upon the rear end of the wagon, a crane-arm hinged to said support, and grappling-forks carried at the outer end of the crane-arm, together with mechanism for manipulating the grappling-forks, and means for raising and lowering the crane-arm the power for raising said crane-arm being derived from one of the ground-wheels on the rear axle, all as hereinafter described.

In loading shocks upon a wagon it is customary to handle each sheaf separately, and considerable grain is lost during the operation. Therefore, appreciating the fact that the loss of grain could be considerably lessened, if not altogether obviated, by handling the entire shock, I have devised the machine forming the subject-matter of this application for patent. The machine also greatly lessens the labor of handling the shocks both in loading and unloading the wagon.

The following specification enters into a detail description of the construction and operation of my improved loading and unloading machine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters thereon, which designate the difierent parts, and what I consider to be new in the construction and combination is more specifically set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine constructed in accordance with my invention, the parts being illustrated in the position they assume just prior to lowering the crane-arm over a shock. Fig. 2 is asectional view on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig.

3 is a sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4 4:, Fig. 1.

In carrying out my invention a block A is Serial No. 11,847. (No model.)

rigidly secured upon the rear end of the wagon-bed B and is provided with an upwardlyprojecting pivot-pin a, centrally located on the block. Upon this block is mounted a support or standard 0, comprising parallel uprights O 0, connected at their lower ends by a cross-piece C and inclined inwardly at their upper ends to support a grooved guideroller 0, for the purpose hereinafter described, while the lower cross-piece is provided with a central opening or socket for the pin aand by which the support or standard is permitted a pivotal movement upon the block. This standard supports the crane-arm D, which is hinged thereto by means of a bolt d and said crane-arm is made up of two horizontal beams D D, connected at their front and rear ends by cross bars d and d, respectively. The rear end of the crane-arm pirojects a short distance beyond the rotatable standard 0 and may be weighted to counterbalance the parts (hereinafter described) carried by the outer end of said crane-arm.

The grappling forks (designated by the letter E) are located one upon each side of the outer end of the crane-arm, and being identicalin construction a description of one will also answer for the other. Each grappling-fork consists of a bar E, to which the upper ends of the tines e are securely attached, said tines being curved inward under the crane-arm, as shown, and are also connected together a short distance below the bar E by means of a cross-bar E the latter, in addition to serving to reinforce the tines, also forming a connection for the means by which the grappling-forks are manipulated. The main bar E of the grappling-forks is mounted at its forward end in a block F, secured to the side of the crane-arm, while the rear end of said bar is permitted a vertical movement in a slotted plate F, also attached to the cranearm, and by this manner of supporting the grappling-forks they are not only allowed a swinging movement to open and close upon a shock, but one end is also permitted a vertical movement in order that the ends of the tines can be disposed horizontally irrespective of the inclination of the crane-arm. For the purpose of adjusting the grappling-forks a bail G is attached at its ends to the rear portion of the fork-bars E and slides upon ing movement of said bar J will raise and lower the bail I and open and close the forks. The sliding bar is operated by means of a shaft L, extending longitudinally of the cranearm, passing through the rear cross-bar d and carrying a hand-wheel L. The forward end of said shaft passes through the bar J V and has a pinion Z mounted thereon which engages a vertical rack-plate M, secured to the forward end of the crane-arm, a guideplate M bearing against said pinion to hold it in proper engagement with therack-plate. It will be noted' that when the shaft L is turned the pinion will move up or down the rack-plate, and said shaft being raised and lowered thereby will slide the bar J either up or down, according to the direction in which the shaft is turned.

It will be understood that the crane-arm can be swung laterally by turning-the support or standard 0 upon its pivot, and in order to lower the outer end of said crane-arm over a shock and afterward elevate said crane-arm and shock a hoisting and lowering cable Nis attached to the outer end of the crane-arm and passes therefrom over the guide-pulley c, and passing down through the Wagon-bed is attached to a drum 0. This drum is slidable upon its shaft 0 and is provided at one end with a clutch-face 0, adapted to interlock with a clutch r, mounted on said shaft, the sprocket-wheel Ron the outer end of the shaft being connected by chain S with a sprocketwheel T, secured to the hub of one of the rear wheels of the Wagon. The clutch is shifted in and out of engagement with the drum by means of a foot-lever U, pivotedin the wagon-bed and having a yoke V at its lower end lying in a peripheral groove in one of the heads of said clutch. As the crane-arm is swung laterally by turning the support or standard 0 upon its pivot said standard is preferably provided with projecting handles W at opposite sides, and as the operator is expected to adjust the grappling-forks, both in grappling the shock and in releasing the estate handling shocks will be readily understood, for, supposing the several parts to be in the position illustrated in Fig. 1, the shaft L is turned by hand-wheel L to raise the bar J and open the grappling-forks E, and by releasing drum 0 from sprocket-wheel R the cable will be paid out and lower the grapplingforksover the shock, after which the shaft is turned to close the forks upon the shock. The clutch is then slid into engagement with sprocket-wheel R, and upon a forward movement of the wagon the rotary movement of the groundwheel will be imparted to the drum by chain S, and winding the cable N thereon will elevate the crane-arm to the desired extent. The crane-arm can then. be swung over the wagon by turning the standard or support 0, and after the shock is lowered upon the wagon the forks are released by turning the shaft L. It will be understood that as the wagon moves forward to wind the hoisting-cable upon the drum it approaches the next shock, so as to be in position for the operation to be repeated in loading said next shock. It is therefore apparent that the machine will greatly facilitate the operation of loading shocks upon a Wagon, and it is also apparent that by moving the entire shock the loss of grain incident to tearing the sheaves apart by the old manner will be obviated.

Though I have shown the machine as mounted upon the rear end of a wagon to load the shocks upon said wagon it is obvious that the said machine could be and preferably is mounted upon the center of a wagon in order to occupy all of said wagon and load into another wagon drawn by the machine. By having the machine separate from the wagon a wagon after being loaded could be uncoupled.

from the machine and another wagon coupled on, so that the machine can be in constant use while the loads are being transported, and of course the unloading of the wagons could be facilitated by having another machine for the purpose.

Where a threshing-machine is in operation, the entire shocks could be removed from the Wagon by the machine and deposited upon the table of the threshing-machine.

It is evident that the machine herein shown and described will greatly reduce the time and labor usually required in gathering in the shocks of grain and will perform the work in 3 the most economical manner.

The particular construction of the parts comprising the machine produces a structure that is as light as possible consistent with the strength required, and the machine is also extremely simple and can be easily operated.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a machine for loading shocks, the combination with the crane-arm, of grapplingforks pivoted to the outer end of said cranearm, a bail or loop connected to said grapplingforks, a slide attached to the bail or loop; to-

gether with a shaft, pinion and rack by which the slide is raised and lowered to open and close the grappling-forks, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a machine for loading shocks, the combination with the crane-arm, of grapplingforks supported at the outer end of the cranearm and adapted to have a Vertical movement at one end on said arm independent of the opening and closing movemen ts,substantially as shown, and means connected to said grappling-forks to open and close the same.

3. In a machine forloading shocks, the combination with the crane-arm, of grapplingforks supported at the outer end of the cranearm and adapted to have a vertical movement at one end on said arm independent'of the opening and closing movements, a rod connected to the vertically-movable end of the grappling-forks, and a lever for operating said rod, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a machine for loading shocks, the combination with the crane-arm, of grapplingforks consisting of a main bar, tines and an intermediate cross-bar, a block and slotted plate in which the opposite ends of the main bar of the grappling-forks are supported, a loop or bail connected to the intermediate cross-bars, and means for raising and lowerin g the bail or loop to open and close the grappling-forks.

5. In a machine for loading shocks, the combination with the crane-arm, of grapplingforks supported at the outer end of the cranearm, a bail or loop connected to the grapplingforks, a sliding bar attached to the bail or loop and supported between channel-bars; to gether with a shaft passed through the sliding bar, a pinion on the shaft, and a vertical rack-bar with which the pinion meshes, the shaft having a hand-wheel at its inner end, substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth. I

' ISAAC E. MOFFITT. Witnesses:

DANIEL MURPHY, WILLIAM JAMES MOFFITT. 

